Sannino Vinveyard: Another Denizen of Peconic Lane July 13, 2018

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Bella Vita, Bianca Dolce, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, Chilly Day Chardonnay, Fresco White Blend, gewurztraminer, merlot, no outside food, North Fork, Peconic Lane, riesling, Sannino, sauvignon blanc, Spotlight Petit Verdot, syrah, wine tasting July 15, 2018

www.sanninovineyard.com/

As you near the southern end of Peconic Lane, you come to Sannino Bella Vita Vineyard, formerly Ackerly Pond.

Here’s another place where you can often talk to the winemaker or a member of his family. On this beautiful Friday afternoon we were served our wine by a daughter of Anthony Sannino, who has clearly absorbed much of her father’s love of winemaking. I enjoy these discussions, as I always learn something new about wine and wine-making.

This view encompasses most of the tasting room.

The cozy Sannino tasting room is in a converted barn, and they also have a pleasant outdoor area with some shade-giving canopies. Since we had the place to ourselves, we decided to sit outside and enjoy the warm—but not too hot—afternoon. Our decision was facilitated by the fact that they serve all of your tastes at once, on a tray with circles where you can indicate your choices.

A tasting is $18 for six tastes, or $3.50 per taste. As we perused the menu of thirteen wines (plus two that are sold out), Ms. Sannino gave us some useful information about the choices. Most of the whites are new this year, the 2017 vintage, except for a couple of oaked ones. The reds are about to be supplanted by a new vintage, so we may have to come back to try the rest of them. She’s particularly enthusiastic about the 2015 reds, she told us, as it was a good year for reds.

She also offered us a cheese and charcuterie tray, but we had had lunch, so we declined. It did sound very nice. By the way, they don’t allow outside food or drinks. She also proudly pointed out a number of their wines which had recently won awards. We will be looking forward, in a few years, to see the result of an experiment they are trying: they have planted three acres with several different varieties of grapes which no one else on the North Fork is growing.

We finally decided to try all six of the 2017 whites in a shared tasting. How about the reds? We were going to come back another day, but then, after we finished the whites, we decided to go ahead and add the four reds on the menu. (My husband, the designated driver, gallantly offered to have just one sip of each while I finished the rest of the glass. It’s a tough job…) On her own, Ms. Sannino added a taste of the 2015 cabernet franc, which will soon be on the menu.

Five whites and one rose

2017 Gewürztraminer $24

Since gewürztraminer can often be sweet, I was wondering why this was first on the menu. One sip told me why—it’s not sweet! The menu describes it as “elegant,” which is not a bad summary, though it doesn’t really tell you much about the wine. The aroma is quite floral and the taste combines spice and fruit and some minerality, plus a touch of grapefruit. Overall it is dry and light, without the veggie taste you sometimes get in a gewürztraminer.

Another couple of months and they’ll be wine.

2017 Chilly Day Chardonnay $24

The menu also includes an oaked chard, but I tend to prefer steel, so I stuck with this one. There’s not much aroma, though I detect a hint of forest floor. However, it tastes better than it smells, with a toasty warmth and a touch of lime. “Serviceable,” says my tasting buddy. I think it would be good with bluefish.

2017 Fresco White Blend $20

Our server notes that since this is a blend of the other wines we have in the tasting, it might be fun to taste back and forth, trying to detect the traces of each in this one. It’s a blend of 55% chardonnay, 15% gewürztraminer, 15% riesling, and 15% sauvignon blanc. I like the aroma, which is sweet and complex, with something a bit funky (like the chardonnay) and minerality. The taste, however, is relatively simple, but dry, with notes of salt and, believe it or not, cucumber. It’s nice to sip outside on a warm summer day. If we hadn’t just replenished our whites I could see buying a bottle.

2017 Sauvignon Blanc $26

The menu describes this as “off dry,” which sometimes means too sweet for us, but though this does have some sweetness I find it balanced enough that I like it. The aroma is very attractive, and reminds me of 7 Up, of all things. There are tastes of mango and pineapple, but the sweetness dissipates fairly quickly so you get other flavors as well. I think it would pair well with charcuterie, and when I note this to our server she tells us how this wine came to be. Her father, the winemaker, called her one day to say that the wine had, on its own, stopped fermentation. Happy with the result, he left it as is. Good decision.

2017 Riesling $22

On the other hand, the riesling is too sweet. It smells like clover honey and tastes like sweet oranges with some spice. It might be okay with Thai food.

The rose is a pretty color.

2017 Bianca Dolce $16

“Gentle pink roses” says the menu of this rosé. I’m not sure what a gentle rose is, but this is a very pleasant rosé, made from 100% merlot with the “free run juice” which comes right off the grapes. Typical strawberry aroma and flavor, this is another dry, light wine. I still prefer Croteaux.

2014 Merlot $25

Now we get a fresh tray of reds, labeled on the paper with the number on the menu of the wine. 2014 was not a great year for reds, and this is a fairly light merlot, with typical cherry flavor and aroma. Just okay.

2014 Syrah $30

This is from their “certified sustainable” vineyard. It has some tannins and nice fruit, but almost no aroma. This is not a big wine, but would be okay with lamb chops.

2014 “Spotlight” Petit Verdot $35

Why “spotlight”? Because, she explains, most wineries use petit verdot as a blending wine, but in this case they wanted to put the spotlight on the petit verdot, just blending in 15% cabernet sauvignon. After the fruity aroma I was expecting a bigger wine, but this is good anyway. My husband notes that it starts stronger than it ends. Perhaps it needs to age more, as we do detect some tannins.

2014 Cabernet Sauvignon $30

I insist this smells like grape Jell-O. I am doubted. In any event, this is another dry, rather light red, with some cherry berry tastes. It wouldn’t stand up to a steak, but could go with pork chops.

An array of bottles bearing awards

2015 Cabernet Franc $? (Not on the menu, but the sold-out 2014 was $34)

Power of the book, as we often say, but also, I like to think, of our sincere interest in the wines: we get an extra taste. And this is the best of the reds, for sure. I swear it smells like bread and butter pickles, as well as fruit. The wine has lots of tannins but is rather smooth and certainly has potential, perhaps with more aging. Good. I enjoy drinking it. Pairing? How about a marinated strip steak with chimichurri sauce?

Some wine-related gifts. I bought one.

Reasons to visit: pleasant small winery with the chance to talk with the winemaker or a family member; on Peconic Lane, so it could be part of a winery walking tour; the Fresco White Blend, the sauvignon blanc, the 2015 cabernet franc; nice outdoor area; small selection of wine-related gift items, including t-shirts and candles. They also offer wine-making classes, tours of the winery, and overnights at their small inn.

Though they’ve sold out all the Ackerly Pond wines, they keep the sign up out of respect for their predecessor at the site.

Suhru Tasting House: New(ish) Kid on the Block June 10, 2018

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Australia, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, Ember, gewurztraminer, Malbec, merlot, New Zealand, North Fork, petit verdot, pinot grigio, riesling, rose, Russell Hearn, sauvignon blanc, Shiraz, SuHru, Susan Hearn, T'Jara, Touch of Venice, wine tasting June 13, 2018

https://www.suhruwines.com/

We arrived in time for the grand opening!

Although Suhru wines have been around for a while (We first tasted them at The Winemaker’s Studio.), they didn’t have their own tasting room—until now. They have opened up their own place in the small building in Cutchogue which briefly housed Waters Crest’s tasting room. As soon as we walked in, we noticed that they had done a very nice job of renovating the space, expanding the room and decorating it in a breezy, beachy style. Our server informed us that they soon hope to be able to display work by local artists. They also have a small outdoor area in the back, which faces their parking lot.

The back yard

We happened to enter during the Grand Opening, so a table in the rear of the room held cheese and bread and sausages from Touch of Venice, which we were urged to sample. In the future, they hope to have a menu of snacks from that restaurant, which is right across the street. Good idea!

Suhru—the name is an amalgam of Susan, Russell, and Hearn, for Susan the owner, Russell the winemaker, and Hearn, their last name—joins the club of wineries which are the personal products of winemakers who work for large wineries, like Coffee Pot Cellars and Anthony Nappa. They also have another label, T’Jara, which they own with another couple. That name is a nod to where they are from, which is Australia, and literally means “place where I’m from” in the aboriginal language. By the way, they are careful to emphasize the “h” in the winery’s name, since Suru is the name of a Japanese saki company! We were given all this information by our cheery and friendly server—who also happens to be Susan and Russell’s daughter. She was helped at the bar by her mother, so this is quite a family affair.

In future iterations of the label, the H (which now looks like a football goalpost) will be in white, to emphasize that it is part of the name.

The menu offers several options: a tasting of three Suhru wines for $9, a tasting of two whites and a rosé from both labels for $8, or a red wine tasting of three, again combining both labels, for $11. But, we said, we want to try all eight varieties on offer (two wines are not available for tasting, only by the bottle). No problem, Ms. Hearn replied, and carefully set us up with two tastings of three each, plus one extra of each, which would cost less than buying eight individual tastes. Wines are also available by the glass. She also delineated the order in which to taste the wines and made useful comments on each.

We liked the calm, beachy décor. The other end of the tasting room has some comfortable couches.

2016 Pinot Grigio $24

“This is the wine which started it all,” said Ms. Hearn. I can see why. It is a light, bright, dry white with tastes of citrus and green apple and a pleasantly flowery aroma. I felt it needed food, and a bite of bread and cheese showed me that I was right. It would also be good with charcuterie.

We were so deep in conversation, I forgot to take a picture until we had drunk everything except the rose. The reds are served the same way.

2017 Sauvignon Blanc $26

Her parents met while hiking in New Zealand, so this is a nod to the New Zealand style of sauvignon blanc, noted Ms. Hearn, though it is not exactly like them. After all, the climate and terroir here are different. The aroma has a whiff of chemicals, but the wine itself is quite nice, dry, with some citrus, though my husband finds it a bit too fruity for him. Again, it benefits by being tasted along with a bite of bread and cheese.

2014 Dry Riesling $25

The grapes for the riesling come from the Finger Lakes region, she tells us, and we get into a discussion of the relative merits of grapes from the two areas. Susan Hearn joins in, and I tell them how last fall we were in Beacon and went to a winery which used some grapes from Long Island! This riesling also includes some gewürztraminer. It is very dry, not at all sweet, and tastes of ripe pear and minerals. Cat pee aroma, I note!

2017 T’Jara Rosé $25

A combination of 80% merlot and 20% cabernet franc, this is a very light, almost watery rosé, not fruity or at all sweet. Though it is a refreshing summer drink, it would not replace Croteaux for us. (By the way, the Croteaux tasting room is closed, due to a problem with the town, though you can still buy their wines online or at local stores.)

2012 T’Jara Cabernet Franc $33

Now we move on to the reds, and a new tray of nice, round-bottomed glasses. The labels for T’Jara wines, by the way, feature designs inspired by aboriginal art. The vineyard for the reds is in Mattituck, where Bordeaux grapes are grown. This is a very drinkable red, with soft tannins and dark fruit tastes, dry, with very little aroma.

2012 Ember $27

This is their Bordeaux blend, predominantly merlot plus cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, malbec, and petit verdot. I really like this, and we buy a bottle. Again, very drinkable, food friendly as Ms. Hearn says, with red current aroma and some minerality as well as dark fruits. It would be good with a beef stew.

2012 Shiraz $30

Again, this name is a nod to their Australian roots, since the grape is called shiraz in Australia and syrah elsewhere, so in America winemakers can choose either. She tells us this is a “cool climate inspired” wine. It’s good, but fairly light for a shiraz. I wouldn’t pair it with a steak, but maybe with veal or pasta. Again, it has soft tannins and lots of fruit.

The array of reds. Note the aboriginal art-inspired designs on the T’Jara labels.

2015 T’Jara Merlot $33

Unlike most North Fork merlots, this one has no cherry taste. It is more like a cabernet franc, I would say. I think it might improve with age, but right now it is quite young and not particularly distinguished.

Lucky us, the grand opening included free snacks!

Reasons to visit: pretty little tasting room that so far is not crowded (We had started out to go to Shinn, but couldn’t even get into the parking lot!); the pinot grigio, the Ember, the sauvignon blanc, the cabernet franc; the chance to chat with the owners and get deeply into the wines; they serve your tastes on a tray, so if you are with a group you can take it to a table and sit and sip; snacks (at some point soon) from Touch of Venice.

One Woman Wines & Vineyard: For True Wine Lovers May 20, 2018

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Claudia Purita, dolcetto, Estate Reserve Chardonnay, Estate Reserve Merlot, gewurztraminer, gruner veltliner, merlot, No buses or limos or groups over 6, North Fork, One Woman Wines and Vineyard, pinot noir, rose, sauvignon blanc, wine tasting May 23, 2018

https://www.onewomanwines.com/

This is the tiny tasting shack for One Woman wines.

The conversations in the tiny tasting shack—a repurposed 19^th century tool shed—were all about wines and wineries. The knowledgeable and interested server had plenty to contribute to the discussion. He recognized us from our last visit, a year ago, and was enthusiastic about sharing his love for One Woman’s wines. As we’ve noted in the past, every new vintage brings changes, in this case both in how the wines taste and in what wines are on the menu. We learned that, since she started, Claudia Purita, the one woman behind One Woman, has increased her acreage of vines from seventeen to thirty. (Actually, given the active participation of her daughter, maybe she should change the name to two women!) Her daughter encouraged her to add Chenin Blanc to her line-up, a good choice in our opinion.

Heed the warning on this sign. They mean it! No big groups without an appointment.

Our first topic of discussion was the rather draconian sign outside the property, adamantly insisting on no groups over six and no limos or buses. However, once you have been there it is clear that the place is too small to accommodate large groups, though you can make an appointment to come before the opening time. Given the quality of the wines, it is worth heeding their warning, and coming with just a few people.

A tasting consists of your choice of two, three, or four wines for $6, $8, or $10. In the past, two tastings of four each would have covered all their offerings, but there are also three Reserve wines, for $4 per taste, and five limited production wines which are not available for tasting. The pour is moderate, so the two of us felt comfortable sharing two tastings, covering all eight of their standard choices. Wines are also available by the glass, at prices ranging from $10-$15 each.

2017 One Woman Rosé $26

Now that Croteaux has had to close their tasting room and garden, due to some issues with the town of Southold, we are on the lookout for a rosé we like as much as we like theirs. This one is in their category of light, tart, yet fruity rosés, with tastes of strawberry and raspberry, so we may return to buy a bottle or two. It is made primarily from merlot, with some pinot noir and dolcetto grapes as well. Our server informs us that they are the only winery on Long Island with dolcetto grapes, which they primarily use as a “blending grape.”

The Sauvignon Blanc and the Rose, our first tastes. We like the view out the back window.

2016 Sauvignon Blanc $32

This is not as citrusy as some sauvignon blancs we’ve had, but is more minerally and vegetal, with an asparagus aroma. (Asparagus is in season, and we’ve been buying it every week from the farmstands, which may be one reason why we thought we smelled it!) Very light, it would be better with food, perhaps a delicate fish or seafood dish, than sipped on its own.

Usually there are flowers inside as well, but I guess it is early in the season.

2016 Chenin Blanc $35

This is the first time they’ve offered chenin blanc, with only 50 cases produced. There was some discussion of the fact that chenin blanc can vary greatly in taste, depending on the terroir and how the grape is treated. Though One Woman’s chenin is steel fermented, it has a bit of the mouth feel of an oaked wine. The aroma is a little funky, but the wine itself is light and pleasant.

I meant to ask about the “antipasto platter” on the sign, but got sidetracked. I would say that charcuterie would be a good snack with the whites.

2016 Grüner Veltliner $26

The Grüner Veltliner is their signature wine, both because no one else on Long Island produces this wine and because it is quite good. When a couple came in and asked to taste just one wine, this was the one the server suggested. Good idea. We really liked it, and bought two bottles. It has a sweet flowery aroma, like honeysuckle, but it is not sweet. We taste citrus and gooseberry and some minerality. The taste is complex, with also some notes of spice. “White pepper?” suggests our server. “Awesome,” say I. If we can keep it that long, I may serve it with our Thanksgiving turkey (which I would buy from 8 Hands farm again, since last year’s was delicious).

2015 Gewürztraminer $28

We get to taste this side by side with the 2016, and the comparison shows once again how important vintage is. The aroma is somewhat typically flowery, maybe orange flower, with some pine, too. The taste is delicious, with just a touch of sweetness. It is fruitier than the 2016 Gewürztraminer, but also has plenty of minerality to balance it. There is some discussion of the effect of salt spray, from our maritime setting, on the grapes. This is a wine that would be nice to drink with something moderately spicy, but could also be sipped on its own.

Two gewürztraminers, side by side tasting.

2016 Gewürztraminer $28

Though the aroma is similar, this one’s smell is more complex, with a touch of funkiness. The wine is dryer, more austere, with less fruitiness. The finish is shorter and the legs are longer! I prefer the 2015, but I can see how some might like the 2016 more.

Two chardonnays–you can see the color is slightly different.

2015 Chardonnay $26

Aged partly in steel and the rest in oak, this is a nice, not too buttery chardonnay. It is dry, with some citrus and minerality and tastes of vanilla and almonds.

2013 Estate Reserve Chardonnay $38

“Would you like to try the Estate Reserve Chardonnay?” asks our server. Oh sure. I never turn down an offer like that! This one is aged for sixteen months in new French oak, and is definitely for those who like the California style of buttery chardonnays. Not my preference.

Though whites are definitely her strong suit, we did really like the Estate Reserve Merlot.

2014 Merlot $40

A fairly typical North Fork merlot, this is aged eighteen months. It has aromas of dark fruit and olives, is dry, and could be fruitier. I would say, based just on this wine, that whites are definitely One Woman’s strong suit.

2012 Estate Reserve Merlot $48

On the other hand, the Estate Reserve Merlot is delicious! This is another extra taste, and I’m glad we tried it. The taste is more like a cabernet sauvignon than a merlot, I think, and our server agrees. It has plenty of tannins and could use more aging, so we buy a bottle to label 2020 for the wine cellar. This is an interesting wine, with lots of dark fruit tastes, and would go well with lamb.

If Claudia Purita’s daughter is there, say hello. She’s lively and fun to talk with.

Reasons to visit: you really like wine and would like to chat about it with someone who shares your enthusiasm; the intimate setting; it is a bit off the beaten track—on a side road off Sound Avenue—so in general those who come here are here for the wines; the Gewürztraminer, the Grüner Veltliner, the Estate Reserve Merlot, the rosé; off in the field you can see the cows, from whose milk Frank Purita will be making his excellent gelato, accompanied by Freddie the bull.

One warning–these are the “facilities.”

Picnic tables expand the space in the summer.

Cows!

Her story.

Lenz Winery: The Older the Better January 11, 2018

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with blanc de noir, cabernet franc, Catapano, Estate Select Merlot, gewurztraminer, Lenz Winery, North Fork, Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon, Old Vines Chardonnay, Old Vines Merlot, Peconic Bay scallops, petit verdot, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, Tete-a-Tete, wine tasting January 15, 2018

https://lenzwine.com/

Lenz is justifiably proud of being one of the oldest wineries on the North Fork.

“We’re the second oldest winery on Long Island,” our server proudly told us. Most people know that certain wines improve with age, but I’ve also learned that grape vines do, too. As the vines get older, their roots go deeper and get stronger, and the grapes also get better. The first modern winery on the North Fork was Hargraves, now Castello di Borghese, founded in 1973. Lenz started in 1978, but didn’t harvest their grapes for wine until 1988. Now in their fortieth year, they have some really good wines on their list.

Plenty of room at the bar during the week in the winter.

We had been housebound by snow and cold, and it was still rather chilly when we set out to do a tasting. A quick walk around Greenport revealed a very quiet town, with many stores and restaurants closed for the season or open with limited hours or days. However, we were able to stop into the book store to pick up a copy of On Tyranny and into The Weathered Barn to drop off dead light bulbs for recycling.

One side of the tasting room.

Then we headed back west to Lenz. The barn-like Lenz tasting room was quiet as well, as we were the only customers. However, that meant we were able to have some in-depth discussions with our server on wine and the tastes of the ones we chose.

And the other side.

The menu offers two choices: five Estate wines for $14 or five Premium wines for $18. She also offered to customize an all red or all white tasting for a dollar or two more, and described the Estate choices as “lighter.” We decided to share a tasting of the Premium wines, and were quite happy with all six of the wines we tried (Thanks to the power of the book, we got a sixth taste!).

Lenz also has some wine-related items for sale, and a small gallery of art, also for sale. They offer Catapano cheese for a snack, and do allow people to bring their own snacks.

2015 Blanc de Noir Rosé $24

We always compare rosés to Croteaux, and this one can stand up to the comparison. It’s made from pinot noir grapes and has an aroma of strawberry. It’s dry, but mouth-watering, with some nice citrus tastes. I think blood orange, rather than lemon. It’s not really a rosé for sipping on its own, but would be great with food.

Cute label, too.

2014 Tête à Tête $25

As a blend, this changes from year to year. This is a good one. It blends 45% sauvignon blanc, 35% chardonnay, and 20% gewürztraminer for a dry, minerally and lemony white that would be great with lobster or Peconic Bay scallops. We joked about gooseberries and other more obscure fruit comparisons, but I insisted that it did smell like gooseberries.

2013 Old Vines Chardonnay $30

Lenz makes three different chardonnays, so at some point I’ll have to try their others, one of which is steel fermented and the other spends eleven months in oak. This is sort of in the middle of those two, spending three months in neutral oak. You can smell a bit of the oak, and also a light floral aroma. This might be a good wine for someone who finds steel chards too lemony, but doesn’t like that big oaky taste of oaked chards. Although there is a slight note of vanilla, what I mostly taste is green apple, plus some other flavors that make this a relatively complex white. We decide it would be perfect with bluefish, or some other assertive fish.

2010 Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon $50

We get a clean glass as we move on to the reds. Cabernet sauvignon is a grape that takes longer to ripen than, say merlot, so it doesn’t do well every year. However, 2010 had a long warm season, and was a good year for North Fork reds—including this one. Blended with merlot, cabernet franc, and malbec, this is a very dark red with lots of dark fruit flavors including black cherry and a touch of tobacco. It was aged two years in French oak. It has the tannins to stand up to steak or roast lamb. Another good one.

2010 Old Vines Merlot $65

We like this one, too, though not as much as the cab sauv. It is somewhat austere, a bit light for a red at this price point, with a purple plum and cherry flavor. Not much aroma. Our server tells us this could age 20 years, and tells about some of the older Lenz wines she has tasted. We get the last of the bottle, so there’s a bit of sediment at the bottom of the glass. They don’t filter their wines.

The one we took home.

2014 Estate Select Merlot $30

Extra! Having noticed our preferences in the wines we’ve tasted, our server offers us a taste of her favorite of their reds, a new release. Good move, as we buy a bottle and date it to be drunk in a few years. The merlot is blended with cabernet franc and petit verdot and aged in French oak. We like it much better than the Old Vines Merlot, and especially prefer the price. It has more fruit, layers of flavor, and good tannins.

Reasons to visit: lots of good wines; a good compromise between the big commercial wineries and the smaller boutique ones, as it has characteristics of both; in the summer, they have an outdoor courtyard; the Estate Select Merlot, the Tête à Tête, and the Old Vines Chardonnay in particular, but we liked all the wines.

Sometimes the vines in the snow remind me of dancers. In this case, they are hip deep in old snow.

Channing Daughters: The Best of the South Fork December 7, 2017

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Bianco Petillant Naturel, Blaufrankish, channing daughters, Clones, Cuvee Tropical, Dorn and Blau, dornfelder, gewurztraminer, L'Enfant Sauvage, Mosaico, muscat ottonel, North Fork, North Fork Smoke House, petit verdot, pinot grigio, Ramato, sauvignon blanc, Scuttlehole Chardonnay, Slovenian oak, South Fork, Sylvanus, Tocai Friulano, wine tasting December 10, 2017

Channing Daughters: The Best of the South Fork

https://www.channingdaughters.com/

The entrance to Channing Daughters.

It had been over a year since we’d been to one of our favorite wineries, so it was time to make the trek to the South Fork. We took the ferry from Greenport to Shelter Island, and then from Shelter Island to Sag Harbor, as wind whipped the usually calm Gardiner’s Bay into waves and sea spray hit our windshield. Despite the loss of the Sag Harbor movie theater to fire, the town looked much the same as ever, though new boutiques are gradually replacing some of the quirkier shops. Happily, we noted that the Sag Harbor Variety Store and the Wharf Shop are still there.

One of the wood sculptures made by Walter Channing.

And so is the Channing Daughters tasting room, down a pebbled driveway off Scuttlehole Road, sitting amidst vineyards and wood sculptures made by the owner. The tasting room is small, with a bar along one side and no tables, though in the summer there are some outside. A standard tasting is five wines for $16, or you can order a glass of wine for $15. Simple crackers are put out as palate cleansers.

This is the standard tasting–which is not what we had!

We had the room to ourselves on this sunny but blustery winter day, so we had the full attention of the genial and very well-informed server. He was delighted to hear that, after having resigned from the wine club last spring due to various changes in our lives, we were ready to rejoin it. The wine club involves accepting six shipments of two bottles each per year, and then you get free tastings of any wines you like to try plus invitations to various events during the year and discounts on other purchases.

The tasting room is small, but augmented in the summer by outside tables.

A view of the outside patio.

As a result of rejoining the club, our tasting was free, and we tasted quite a few wines—so many that we ended up dumping parts of the last few tastes, just so we could stay on our feet. And even after trying eleven wines we had not begun to exhaust the panoply of wines on offer, a truly varied and impressive array for a small winery. One of the reasons we love Channing, and rejoined their club despite living on the North Fork and having access to so many other wineries, is their willingness to experiment and try new ideas all the time. Check out their web site to see all they offer and to read about their philosophy of wine making. According to the web site, they make almost three dozen different wines!

2016 Scuttlehole Chardonnay $18

Of all the chardonnays on Long Island, this remains our favorite, a steel-fermented beautiful expression of the fruit. We taste some pineapple and minerality, with aromas of pear and citrus. Yum.

Our favorite chardonnay. The upside down tree on the label represents one of Mr. Channing’s sculpture techniques, using an entire tree turned upside down.

A sculpture made from an entire tree turned upside down.

2014 Sylvanus $24

A combination of muscat ottonel, pinot grigio, and pinot bianco, the name recalls the Roman god of the fields and agriculture (like Pan or Bacchus) for a very good reason. It is what is called a “field blend,” which means it is a blend of various grapes all of which were grown together in one field. So they share the same terroir, yet the taste varies from year to year, depending on how each variety grows. As we discussed with our server, this is more like the way people grew grapes in the past, planting whatever vines they got wherever they fit. And the vineyard in which it grows is named Sylvanus. In any event, this year’s iteration is quite good, a light, delicate dry white with just a touch of wood. He thinks it would be good with appetizers, perhaps a charcuterie platter.

An image of Sylvanus, god of fields and harvests.

2015 Cuvée Tropical $23

This is another blend, of 78% chardonnay, 8% tocai friulano, 8% pinot grigio, and 8% muscat ottonel. As I said, they like to experiment. The name comes from the flavor, which has notes of tropical fruits, like lychee and guava and pineapple. In the past I really liked the fruitiness of this wine, and this iteration is less fruity, a bit more austere, so though he recommends it with spicy food, I don’t think that’s necessary.

I love the image on this label, of vines in the snow.

2014 Clones $29

Why Clones? Because this wine includes ten different clones of chardonnay, plus gewürztraminer, tocai friulano, pinot grigio, and sauvignon blanc. Now here comes the experimentation—some of the wine is aged on the skins for a little while, they use wild yeast, and it spends twelve months in old French oak barrels (plus maybe more I forgot…). Another good one. Dry, with just a touch of the oak, with citrus flavors of lime more than lemon, and some interesting complexity. Our server recommends it with smoked trout or bluefish, and we recommend that he check out the North Fork Smoke House the next time he’s in Greenport.

2014 Mosaico $29

Again, the name relates to how the wine was made. This is another field blend, but this time the vines are literally planted in a mosaic pattern, and include pinot grigio, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, muscat ottonel, tocai friulano, and gewürztraminer. Whew. Another winner. Aromas of celery, citrus, and herbs and maybe chamomile, and a complex flavor that includes pear, pineapple, and citrus. Because the juice also spends some time on the skins, the color is a deeper gold than usual.

2014 L’Enfant Sauvage

The “wild child” is a reference to the use of wild yeast, sometimes a risk for the winemaker, and this time, I have to say, not as successful for me as in the past. I have loved earlier versions of this white, but this one is more minerally than fruity. That’s not necessarily bad, but I liked the fruit in the past. This is 100% chardonnay, aged in new French oak and also Slovenian oak, so maybe the Slovenian oak is a taste I don’t care for. The aroma is of over-ripe apples and something chemical. My husband says it has a “strong backbone.”

Yes, this wine is orange.

2014 Ramato $25

You can only get this wine if you are in the wine club. It’s an orange wine, which means it was fermented on the skins for quite a while until it has an orange hue, and was made from 100% pinot grigio. Our server tells us the grape itself has a pinkish hue, which adds to the color. It is tart and dry, with some taste of apricot.

A sparkling wine you can open with a beer bottle opener!

2016 Bianco Petillant Naturel $28

What is this, you wonder, especially as you look at the bottle, which is sealed with a bottle cap and has a layer of sediment on the bottom. This is a lightly fizzy sparkling wine which does not taste at all like champagne, nor does it try to. Instead of the méthode champenoise, this is the méthode ancestrale, in which the yeast remains in the bottle and is not disgorged. This is a blend of pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, and tocai friulano and tastes like a great wine for a meal—light and fizzy and good to complement food. That’s the way they drink Cava in Barcelona, where we saw people ordering an inexpensive bottle to go with lunch or a few tapas.

I love doing side by side tastings of related wines.

2013 Dorn and Blau $28

At this point we said we would share a taste, so our server poured this red and the next one at the same time so we could compare them. These German grapes—a combination of 62% dornfelder and the rest blaufrankish—are also grown in the Sylvanus vineyard. If you’re thinking you haven’t heard of these grapes as growing on Long Island, you wouldn’t be mistaken. As far as I know, Channing is the only one that has them. This is a fairly light and dry red, with aromas of red fruit and tobacco and something funky. It is another wine with more minerality than fruit. I could see it with something rich, though my tasting buddy finds it a bit too austere.

2014 Blaufrankish $28

Reverse the proportion of grapes, and you get 62% blaufrankish and the rest dornfelder, and then, just to see what happens, use grapes from a different vineyard, in this case the Mudd vineyard on the North Fork. We like this one much better! The aromas are of dark fruits plus minerals or wet rock, and the taste is of red berries and plums with layers of flavor, including some minerality. Both of these wines have soft tannins, so I’m not sure how they would age, but they’d be fine to drink right now.

2015 Petit Verdot $38

I often like petit verdots, and this one is no exception. Though the aroma is somewhat smoky and funky, the taste is delicious, with depth of flavor, including blueberries, blackberries, and spice. Our server is willing to keep going, but since we have to get back in the car we decline.

An array of bottles and a view into the cellar.

Reasons to visit: the most interesting wines on Long Island, with something new every year; the Scuttlehole Chardonnay, the Cuvee Tropical, the Clones, the Mosaico, the Blaufrankish…actually, you can’t go wrong with any of their wines; and we didn’t even get to the rosés, which we’ve had and enjoyed in the past; you’re looking for a winery in the Hamptons that’s less formal and pricey than Wölffer (which does have the advantage of tables where you can sit and snack on their cheese, etc.), and did I mention they also make really good vermouths, which are excellent just over ice as an aperitif.

Vermouth!

There are a few wine-related gifts for sale, though they no longer carry the bottle collars we like, which you put around the neck to catch drips.

Coffee Pot Cellars: Fun Tasting, Serious Wines November 5, 2017

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Adam Suprenant, Beasley, Beasley's Blend, beeswax candles, Blossom Meadow, chardonnay, Coffee Pot Cellars, Cyser, gewurztraminer, Laura Klahre, Meritage, merlot, North Fork, riesling, sauvignon blanc, wine tasting November 7, 2017

Coffee Pot Cellars: Fun Tasting, Serious Wines

The name “Coffee Pot” refers to the lighthouse out near Orient Point’s shape, hence the name of the winery. They don’t serve coffee. And that’s a wineasaur, made from corks.

http://www.coffeepotcellars.com/

https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlossomMeadow

As we entered the cozy tasting room of Coffee Pot Wine Cellars, we were greeted by Beasley, the sweet-tempered pug who graces one of the labels: “Because we decided if Beasley drank wine, he would be a red wine drinker,” jokes Laura Klahre. Laura is the co-owner of Coffee Pot Cellars, along with her wine-maker husband Adam Suprenant, and she is also a beekeeper and bee enthusiast.

The tasting room is in a building that was once a house, which seems appropriate since the owners make everyone feel at home right away.

Every time we come there we learn something new about bees from Laura’s lively explanations. This time we learned about mason bees—not to be confused with carpenter bees—which like to nest in hollow grasses and are excellent pollinators (about which more later), though not honey makers. That morning she had been harvesting mason bee cocoons, which she happily showed us.

Beasley, the welcoming committee.

Meanwhile, she also gracefully served a bar full of people (some of whom had brought their own snacks), keeping track of where everyone was in the tasting of six—actually seven—beverages. I say beverages because the listed tasting is of six wines for $12, but she adds in a taste of their Cyser, a champagne-like cider beverage made with apples and her own honey. She was quite the busy bee! (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) As to the delicious honey, we have bought it in the past and wanted to get more, but she was all out, as she needs to leave some for the bees for the winter. Next time we’ll stop by in the summer to pick some up. In the summer you can also observe a demonstration hive of bees as they busily go about their “beesness” behind a glass window.

The tasting room consists of a bar with bar stools plus shelves lining the walls, featuring Blossom Meadow bee-based products. No tables.

Some of the items for sale.

The little figurines are beeswax candles.

Laura was excited we had come that day, since they had just released their latest merlot. Adam is also the winemaker for Osprey’s Dominion, where he uses some space to make his own wines. They buy their grapes, Laura explained, having decided they would rather stay small and control exactly what they wanted to make than expand to own a vineyard as well.

IMG_4602 (1)

2014 Sauvignon Blanc $21.99

Spending six months in steel, this is a “nice and crisp” sauvignon blanc with aromas of mineral and honey and tastes of lime, melon, and mineral. Nicely dry and very drinkable, it would be great with local oysters or scallops.

You can clearly see the Coffee Pot lighthouse on the label.

2014 Chardonnay $19.99

If you don’t care for an oaky chardonnay, but you find steel-fermented ones too tart, you might like this chard. It spends six months in “neutral oak” barrels, which Laura explains to another guest is just a fancy way of saying “used,” so it is a little softened but has only a touch of wood. I smell peach and rocks and taste citrus and maybe also a little peach.

Cyser $19.99

According to the tasting menu we should be having the gewürztraminer, but Laura suggests the Cyser works better at this point, and who are we to argue? This is a hard cider which Adam makes into a sparkling wine using the méthode champenoise. He only makes 90 cases, since it is very work-intensive to produce. And the bees work hard, too, Laura explains. The mason bees pollinate the apple orchard, and then the honey bees provide honey which is added to the cider. Despite the honey, this is a dry drink, fizzy and fun, tasting like a green-apple-flavored champagne. It is only 7 ½ % alcohol.

2014 Gewürztraminer $21.99

Thinking ahead to Thanksgiving, we decide this gewürztraminer would be perfect with turkey. Made with 12% riesling, it is nonetheless dry, with lots of tropical fruit flavors. The tasting menu mentions lychee and pineapple, and I agree. The aroma is fruity, with some vegetable notes. Some gewürztraminers are so sweet that you would only want them as a counterpoint to spicy food, but this one is not. Laura confides that when Adam makes roast chicken for dinner this is the wine she brings home to drink with it. Sounds good to me. We decide to bring home a bottle as well.

2012 Merlot $19.99

As we switch to reds, Laura gives us a fresh glass. She also rinses glasses with a few drops of wine, which she then pours out into the dump bucket. She noted that she works hard to keep those buckets cleaned out, since otherwise they attract fruit flies at this season, something we’ve noticed at other wineries. This is a pleasant, simple, very cherry-flavored merlot. It is nicely dry, with plenty of fruit, a good wine for pasta or pizza.

Beasley want to know how everyone likes his Blend. Laura says that at home, when she is getting ready to come to the tasting room, Beasley follows her around so she won’t leave without him.

Beasley’s Blend $21.99

Apparently, Beasley likes cabernet franc more than merlot, since this is a blend of 60% cabernet franc and 40% merlot. Beasley has good taste, as we like this very much. The aroma is of fruit, cherries and dark plums, and the taste is layered, with those fruits plus more. Nice tannins. We decide to get a bottle of this, too, to have with beefy entrees, such as pot roasts.

Note the image of Beasley standing guard on the lighthouse.

2013 Meritage $25.99

A Right Bank Bordeaux blend, this is 56% merlot, 22% cabernet sauvignon, 11% petit verdot, and 11% cabernet franc. As you might expect (though it’s not always true), this is a fairly complex wine, with tastes of dark fruits and spices such as nutmeg and lots of tannins. Supposedly, one only makes a Meritage in a good year, and clearly 2013 was a very good year.

Reasons to visit: a chance to talk with Laura and/or Adam, both of whom are quite fun to talk with (though Adam had left before we got there that day); lots of bee and wine related gift items, including clever little beeswax candles; all the wines, but especially the Gewürztraminer and the Beasley’s Blend, also the Meritage; Beasley; the demonstration hive in the summer and monarch butterflies in the early fall; everything you ever wanted to know about bees.

Laura in the midst of one of her lively discussions of bees.

Peconic Cellar Door: New Kids on the Block October 20, 2017

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Alie Shaper and Robin Epperson-McCarthy, Anthony Nappa, As If Persistence, As If Serendipity, BOE Broken Land, BOE Haywater Cove, cabernet sauvignon, Corot noir, gewurztraminer, Greenport Harbor Brewing, Malbec, Motley Cru, North Fork, Peconic, Peconic Cellar Door, petit verdot, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, riesling, Saltbird Chardonnay, Sannino Bella Vita, sauvignon blanc, Social Club White, syrah, Vidal blanc, viognier, wine tasting, Winemaker's Studio October 22, 2017

Peconic Cellar Door: New Kids on the Block

https://www.peconiccellardoor.com/

If you like the idea of chatting with a pair of passionately committed winemakers, Peconic Cellar Door is the place for you. Alie Shaper and Robin Epperson-McCarthy are the women who own, run, and make the wines for the labels As If, Brooklyn Oenology, and Saltbird Cellars. They are the ones behind the bar in their small, white-washed space on Peconic Lane (adjacent to Anthony Nappa’s Winemaker’s Studio), where they will happily talk to you as much as you like about their wines—or give you space to sip and discuss with each other.

The menu is rather extensive, but not all the wines are available for tasting or by the glass.

And there was much to talk about, as we learned their ideas about wine-making, why certain wines have the names they do, and their past experiences in wineries. We mostly talked to Robin, who, despite her youthful appearance, has spent many years traveling around the world, learning about wine-making techniques from New Zealand to California, and more. Her label is Saltbird, and as a native North Forker she is certainly familiar with salt air and local birds! Then Alie chimed in as we asked about her wines. She is the founder of Brooklyn Oenology (founded in Brooklyn, and abbreviated BOE), whose beautiful labels sport removable reproductions of works of art by Brooklyn artists. She also makes the As If wines, which are named Serendipity, Persistence, and Courage—some of the qualities she needed to make them.

Their space is small, so they request no large groups.

The entire menu of wines includes about twenty-three choices, most of which are available for tastes at $3-$4 per generous taste. However, they also offer a set menu of four tastes for $14, which they said would change periodically, “So you can come back and have a different experience…and so we don’t get bored.” Most, but not all, of the wines are also available by the glass. If you want a bottle to consume on the premises, they charge a $10 service fee. (Also, they request that you not bring outside food, as they will soon have their own snack menu, and they also request no pets.)

We opted for the Feature Flight, and then, since it was all whites, added three reds at Robin’s recommendation. So the first four are from the flight—and very good choices they were.

2015 Saltbird Chardonnay $20

We tend to like steel-fermented chardonnays, and this was no exception. Robin informed us that it spends some time “on the lees,” which gives it more body and taste than your average chard. I found the aroma sweet, with some notes of cut grass, while my husband scented Brussels sprouts. “A seasonal smell,” he joked, as we are happily scanning the farm stands for the first sight of Brussels sprouts on the stem. This is a tasty wine, dry, with some lemon but nice depth. I think I could happily sip this with some brie or camembert.

One of Brooklyn Oenology’s artistic labels.

2014 BOE Social Club White $17

Another winner, this blend of seven grapes—chardonnay, pinot gris, pinot blanc, vidal blanc, riesling, gewürztraminer, and viognier—is steel fermented and dry. Lots of tart grapefruity taste, but also some sweetness underneath. If I had to guess, I’d bet that chardonnay is the predominant grape. Very drinkable, especially with a seafood chowder. We buy a bottle.

2014 As If Serendipity $35

This is a blend of chardonnay, viognier, and sauvignon blanc, which is aged in neutral French oak. The aroma reminds me of something sticky, though I’m not sure what. The taste is tart, like a green apple. It’s very good, but I don’t think it is worth the price.

Very orange orange wine! That’s Alie in the background.

2013 BOE Broken Land $30

Broken Land? According to Alie, that is the actual meaning of the Dutch name for Brooklyn. Who knew? You could also say it is a wine that breaks with tradition, as this is an orange wine made from pinot gris and gewürztraminer. As Alie explains to us, orange wines are made by leaving white wine grapes to ferment with the skins (which are otherwise usually removed), and the particular grapes she chose have multi-colored skins, lending her wine a deep orange color. It would be a great wine to serve at a Halloween party, especially if you’re serving Chinese food, as I think the flavors of lychee, ginger root, and other fruits would complement that. The aroma reminds me of tangerines.

It might be fun to buy the Motley Cru for a Motley Crue fan.

2012 BOE Motley Cru $35

Now we are done with the set flight, and we are given a fresh glass to try the reds, choosing some which happen to be open and on the counter. The name entails another discussion, as it is not inspired by the rock group Motley Crüe! Alie explains that it is made from a motley assortment of grapes—50% cabernet sauvignon, 28% malbec, 9%syrah, 8% petit verdot, and 5% corot noir—and then she added cru as a pun on the wine term. The corot noir, by the way, is a new cold tolerant hybrid made by Cornell. This is a fairly light red, with a pleasant aroma and soft tannins. Not much fruit. This would be a good wine to get if you have a group of people with varying entrees, as it could go with almost anything, from chicken to lamb, or even fish.

Another really pretty label

BOE Haywater Cove Merlot $18

Although this is a merlot, it has very little cherry flavor or aroma. Robin agrees, and suggests it has more of a blueberry/bramble flavor, and we think she is right. This is a pleasant red, dry, with soft tannins. The label tells us that Haywater Cove is an actual location on the North Fork, where “three creeks meet at the mouth of Cutchogue Harbor.”

As If refers to Alie’s initials and also her approach to wine making.

2014 As If Persistence $40

Yum. A blend of 60% cabernet franc, 25% petit verdot, and 15% cabernet sauvignon, this has a delicious fruity aroma and lots of dark fruit tastes. For some reason, my tasting buddy says it is “like a new pillow.” Okay. Definitely a wine one could sit and sip, it would also go well with food. I like it the best of the reds.

This time of year they are open Friday through Monday only. It might be a good idea to call or check their web page before you go.

Reasons to visit: a chance to chat with two charming and interesting winemakers; you want to try some new wines; some of the prettiest and most interesting labels around; the Saltbird Chardonnay, the Social Club White, the Broken Land orange wine, the As If Persistence red; they are right next door to the Winemaker’s Studio, so you can go to two tastings without driving (and Sannino Bella Vita is just a mile or so up the street, plus Greenport Harbor Brewing is just a little further at the corner).

Laurel Lake: A Festive Day September 23, 2017

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, chardonnay estate reserve, CJ's Food Truck, gewurztraminer, Greenport Maritime Festival, Harbes, Laurel Lake Vineyards, Merlot Estate, Moscato Sparkling, North Fork, Pinot Gris, pinot noir reserve, sauvignon blanc, syrah, Wind Song Red, wine tasting September 28, 2017

http://www.llwines.com/

The winery building is quite pretty.

We had been to the Greenport Maritime Festival, where we watched pint-size mermaids parade and cruised past booths offering art, food, lavender, and more. Now it was time to continue the festive mood by bringing our guests to a winery, and we decided on Laurel Lake, which we had not been to in more than a year. One reason we hadn’t been there sooner was that the last time we tried to go they were about to close for a wedding. This time they were also going to close for a wedding, but we had more than an hour for our tasting, so in we went.

The tent was being prepared for a wedding party.

The tasting room is pleasant, with an antique bar at one end and plenty of tables, all of which were empty. We opined that everyone on the North Fork was probably at the Greenport Festival or apple picking at Harbes. Then the server behind the bar suggested we seat ourselves near the outside bar, where we had never been. Out we went, to find long tables in the shade, a few more customers, and a very genial server who timed his visits to our table perfectly. A look at the attractively rustic setting made it clear why people favor Laurel Lake as a wedding venue. A food truck run by CJ’s restaurant was parked near us, but we had already had lunch in Greenport.

There is a food truck on the premises, so they request that you not bring your own food.

Laurel Lake offers an extensive menu, of seven whites and nine reds, and a tasting consists of four tastes for $15. By some judicious selecting and sharing, our group of six was able to taste many of the offerings. Each couple shared a tasting, and then we gave each other sips. Overall, we tended to prefer the whites to the reds, but the reds do have the advantage, rare on the North Fork, of being mostly reasonably priced. One nice touch—our server brought us clean glasses for each taste. That’s such a great idea. So often they either pour the next taste right into your glass, where it may be affected by the previous wine, or they rinse it with water, which runs the risk of wine that tastes like chlorine. One other clever method is when they rinse your glass with a few drops of the next taste, though that seems a tad wasteful to me. I hate to see wine being poured into a dump bucket!

The tasting room.

2016 Pinot Gris $22.99

We hadn’t yet settled on a sharing method, so two of us ordered this. I tend to like pinot gris (a.k.a. pinot grigio), and this one was no exception. It smells a bit like pineapple juice, and tastes a bit like it, too. It is tart, with notes of mineral and salt. Our daughter-in-law, who is good at thinking about wine and food pairings, thought it would go well with something made with capers. How about smoked salmon with capers, we asked. Yes. Very buyable.

They give you a good-sized pour, so all six of us could share tastes.

2014 Chardonnay Estate Reserve $23.99

Their oak aged chard, this has the expected aromas of vanilla and wood or caramel, with some citrus flavors. Interestingly, this one also tasted of pineapple, but in this case of very ripe pineapple. Food pairing? How about pork with pineapple.

The outside bar.

2016 Sauvignon Blanc $22.99

This new release is light, crisp, and lemony, with some tastes of grilled peaches. A nice summer wine, it might pair well with a salad with grilled peaches.

2014 Gewürztraminer $22.99

Our server informed us that this is their “third sweetest white.” Though I am not a fan of sweet wines, this one is well-balanced enough that, with, let us say, spicy Thai food, it would be fine. I smell flowers and something metallic, and taste oranges.

Moscato Sparkling $24.99

One member of our group prefers sweet wines to dry, and he was very pleased with this sparkler. It is sweet, with strawberry and melon tastes and a candy-like aroma. Perhaps one could drink it with a chocolate soufflé?

Wind Song Red $17.99

Fair warning—we are told this is their sweetest red. Our server explains that they make it by blending all the leftovers from other wines, and it has no vintage because it could contain juice from various years. I would say this was not a successful blend, as it has a somewhat medicinal taste, like Cheracol cough syrup.

2013 Pinot Noir Reserve $29.99

Another newly bottled release, this was aged in used oak barrels, so it does not have the flavors you get from oak. Some say the nice aspect of this is you get the pure taste of the grape. We find it rather flat and one-dimensional, though not unpleasant. Perhaps one could drink this with molé, as it is a light red. Not caring for this or the previous red, our guests try their own blend, mixing the two. Not a success.

My favorite of these was the Syrah.

2012 Merlot Estate $19.99

Better. Whew. A pretty typical oak-aged merlot, with cherry aromas and taste and some tannins.

2013 Syrah $19.99

Two-thirds of us agree that we like this one. It has tastes of plums, pepper, and nutmeg, plus some nice tannins. Someone suggested pairing it with moussaka. Sounds good to me.

2012 Cabernet Sauvignon $19.99

Interestingly, this is aged in steel. It is an easy to drink, fresh-tasting pizza wine, with soft tannins, and fruity aromas and tastes.

2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve $25.99

As the afternoon progressed, our server became more and more chatty, and he described the interesting method used to make this wine. They take two-thirds of the cab sauv to make rosé, and they take the skins from that plus the rest of the grapes to make this wine, which is then aged in used oak. It has a “dark richness,” said someone, not sure who. It is dry, not as fruity as you might expect given how it is made, with some nice tannins. I wonder how it would age.

They have a small selection of wine-related gift items.

Reasons to visit: pretty setting, inside and out; the Pinot Gris, the Sauvignon Blanc, the Syrah, the Cabernet Sauvignon; reasonably priced wines for Long Island, especially the reds; food truck.

Our server did a good job of explaining each wine.

The top floor of the two-level outdoor area.

Mermaids on parade!

One Woman Wines and Vineyard: Happy to be Back April 29, 2017

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Claudia Purita, gewurztraminer, gruner veltliner, merlot, North Fork, One Woman Wines and Vineyard, Tribute, wine tasting May 1, 2017

https://www.onewomanwines.com/

Somehow we had let more than a year elapse before our return to one of our favorite wineries, so we were delighted to come back to One Woman. One of the servers was happy to see us back, as well, remembering that we had come before in the fall! That personal touch is no surprise at this tiny winery, which is very much the work of one woman, Claudia Purita, who, according to her web site, is totally hands on in the vineyard and the winery. Her devotion shows in the wines, which are all well worth seeking out.

Some ad hoc entertainment.

Out on the porch, a large group was celebrating what seemed to be one person’s birthday, and had arrived in a huge RV. A friend of the winery serenaded them with his guitar. They had made a reservation, which was fortunate, because the winery is very firm about no groups larger than six without a reservation. Our friend the server urged us to come in the summer, when they have bonfires and movies on Saturday nights. The tasting menu offers various options, and we decided to share four tastes for $10, forgoing tastes of the chardonnays and the rosé.

The menu offers various options.

2015 Tribute $26

A blend of all their white grapes—chenin blanc, chardonnay, grüner veltliner, and gewürztraminer—this is a perfect warm weather wine, great for sipping chilled. It has a flowery aroma of honeysuckle and peach, and also has some peach tastes, as well as a lovely minerality.

2015 Grüner Veltliner $26

At the moment, they are the only winery on Long Island with this grape, though our server told us that Macari has planted some, so they may be producing a grüner too. It smells fruity, maybe like gooseberries. The taste is mouthwatering, dry, with some mineral and stone. It would be good with a rich chicken dish, like a creamy casserole. It is steel fermented.

2015 Gewürztraminer $28

Mmm. Smells so good. Flowers, fruits, vegetables. Delicious! I think this may be the best gewürztraminer on Long Island, dry yet with lots of fruit taste. The server takes pains to point out that it only has 1% residual sugar, since some people think all the fruitiness means it is sweet. We also taste minerals and salt. It would be great to sip, but would also pair well with food. Our other server notes it is perfect for Thanksgiving—so we buy two bottles just in case we have turkey some time soon.

2013 Merlot $38

This is aged in new French oak for 18 months, and has the typical cherry flavor of local merlots. Light and dry, with good tannins, this might benefit from further aging.

An aerial photo shows the extent of the vineyards.

Reasons to visit: a bunch of excellent wines; an intimate setting off the beaten track; the Tribute, the Grüner Veltliner, the Gewürztraminer. Because we bought two bottles of wine, our tasting was free.

Channing Daughters: Secret Favorite November 5, 2016

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Blaufrankisch, cabernet franc, channing daughters, dornfelder, Envelope, gewurztraminer, Il Cappuccino, Long Island, malvasia bianco, Muscat de Boom, muscat ottonel, petit verdot, Rosso Fresco, Sag Harbor, sauvignon blanc, Scuttlehole Chardonnay, Scuttlehole Road, South Fork, syrah, Tocai Fruliano, wine tasting November 7, 2016

http://www.channingdaughters.com/

Outside the tasting room you are greeted by this statue made by Mr. Channing from a tree turned upside down.

I have a confession to make. Though my blog is titled Nofo for North Fork, my favorite East End winery is actually on the South Fork, just outside Sag Harbor, to be exact. Why do I like Channing Daughters so much? For one thing, I’ve never had a wine of theirs that I disliked. We joined their wine club years ago (we get the wine delivered) and are fascinated by the wide variety of different wines they offer, especially for such a small winery. According to their web site, they have “three dozen different bottlings.” Their web site is worth visiting, to learn about the interesting experiments they do. When they introduced rosés, they made six or seven different ones. I bought a case of six varieties, and we enjoyed them all. They also started making vermouths a few years ago, using local herbs where possible. They do a better job with reds than many Long Island wineries, and their Scuttlehole Chardonnay is the one against which we measure all other steel-fermented chards. In fact, we served it at our daughter’s wedding.

We also like the intimacy of the tasting room, which is augmented in the summer by some outside tables. And in the tasting room, we’ve always found the servers to be knowledgeable about the wines, happy to answer any questions guests pose to them. Certainly our server on this visit fit that description, discussing both the wines and the business of a winery with well-informed intelligence. For example, we started talking about the contrast between summer and fall crowds, especially in the Hamptons, and he discussed the challenges of staffing a tasting room for a seasonal spike in visitors.

Because we are wine club members, we did not have the regular tasting. Instead, our server made sure that we got to try some of their newest releases, including the bottles that had arrived in our most recent shipment. A regular tasting consists of six wines for $14, and the pour is on the generous side. Even though I won’t be writing about most of the wines on the regular tasting menu, I don’t hesitate to recommend that people go there. You won’t be disappointed. And while you’re on the South Fork, you can also visit Wölffer Estate, if you want a second winery visit. (However, I don’t recommend Duck Walk.) Then you can drive into Sag Harbor and walk up and down Main Street, checking out the art galleries, book store, and boutiques, and ending with dinner at Il Cappuccino (or one of the other restaurants). We haven’t been there recently, but we used to be quite enamored of the garlic knots.

In Sag Harbor you can also see a film at the cinema, which shows off-beat or art house type films.

2015 Scuttlehole Chardonnay $18

As I said, this is our favorite East End chard, named for the street on which the winery is located. It is a crisp, dry, steel-fermented wine, with lots of lemon tastes and, as they say, mouth-watering acidity. It goes great with food, especially fish and seafood, like Peconic Bay scallops.

Part of the array of different wines they make.

2014 Sauvignon Blanc $23

There is a little tocai fruliano (8%) mixed in with the sauvignon blanc, and both are slightly oaked. The aroma is interesting, almost candy-like, with some floral notes, and the taste is equally complex. We discuss, and identify stone or mineral and peach and peach pit. Because it is only slightly oaked it is still quite crisp, and, like their wines in general, dry. Nice.

Envelope has a rich color.

2012 Envelope $42

Why “Envelope”? Because the idea was to “push the envelope” of what a chardonnay could be. Though “pushing the envelope” could describe what they do with many of their wines (like Research Cab, or Over and Over, or L’Enfant Sauvage), the results with this one are quite good. It is what is called an “orange” wine, though it is not quite orange, because it spends more time on the skins, giving it a deeper color than your average white. A blend of 66% chardonnay, 26% gewürztraminer, and 8% malvasia bianca, it has an almost vegetable-like aroma, which my husband compares to his favorite veggie: Brussels sprouts. Not a sipping wine, it would go great with charcuterie, where its tart edge would complement the richness of the meats.

2015 Rosso Fresco $20

This one is also on the regular tasting menu, and is their sort of all-purpose red blend, a mixture this year of 47% merlot, 30% blaufrankisch, 10% syrah, 10% dornfelder, and 3 % cabernet franc. Now that’s a blend I bet you won’t find anywhere else! I compare the aroma to funky cherry pie. The taste is of plums and other dark fruits, and is again dry, with some tannins. My tasting buddy thinks it would go well with a stew, and now that the weather is turning colder perhaps I’ll make one. Our server also mentions that the winemaker used to be a chef, so he is very attuned to making wines that go well with food.

2014 Petit Verdot $32.40 (for wine club members)

I tend to like petit verdots, so I was eager to taste this one, and I was not disappointed. Our server described it as “smoky, dark, and full-bodied,” and suggested it was a good wine to cellar. I agree. The taste makes me think of dark chocolate with a cherry inside, but it is quite tannic and I think would benefit from some aging.

2015 Muscat de Boom $30 (for a small bottle)

Funny name for a really delicious after dinner wine, this is made with muscat ottonel grapes which are partially fermented and then dosed with grape brandy. It is slightly viscous, like a thin honey, but not cloyingly sweet, and would pair well with dark chocolate and almonds. Almond Joy? Why not!

Reasons to visit: it’s one of the best wineries on Long Island; you’re on the South Fork and want to visit a winery or you’ve decided on a day trip to Montauk and want to stop at a winery on your way; the wood sculptures made by Mr. Channing; a wide variety of wines to suit every taste; the Scuttlehole Chardonnay, the Envelope, the Rosso Fresco, the Petit Verdot…actually, all their wines!

More of the array of wines.

NoFo Wineaux

Wine notes from Long Island's North Fork

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